Car-bolster and method of making the same.



No. 825,026. r PATENTED JULY 3, 1906.

E. I. DODDS. GAR BOLSTER AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, 1905.

a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

THE NORRIS PETERS co.. WASHINGTON, v. c,

PATENTED JULY 3, 1906.

E. I. DODDS. OAR BOLSTER AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

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PATENTED JULY 3, 1906.

E. I. DODDS. OAR BOLSTER AND METHOD OP MAKING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ETHAN I. DODDS, OF PULLMAN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE PULLMAN COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CAR-BOLSTER AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1906.

Application filed July 31, 1905. Serial No. 272,048.

To aZZ whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, ETHAN I. DODDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pullman, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Bolsters and Methods of Haking the Same, of which the following is a specification.

In order to provide a car-bolster combining simple construction, great strength, and ease and economy of manufacture, I have devised the structure and the method of making the same described below and illustrated on the accompanying drawings.

A bolster embodying my invention has the bottom integral with the sides at their central portions, and at their intermediate inclined and end portions they are riveted to flanges bent up from the part constituting the bottom plate. The bolster is made from a rectangular sheet of metal by cutting out two strips at each end and slitting the metal somewhat farther from the inner ends of the recesses formed by removing the strips, so that flanges may be turned up on that cen tral part of the sheet which when bent to place forms the bottom of the bolster. The sheet when thus out comprisesa central strip, which is to form the bottom, and 011 each side of this portion another strip, which is to form a side of the bolster, these side portions being integral with the central part for a portion of their length. The outer edges of the side strips are bent over so as to form outwardly-extending flanges when the sides are turned up into place, and additional flanges are bent up from the central strip, which are riveted to the sides when the parts are bent into shape. To the upper and outwardlyextending flanges of the sides is riveted the top plate, which thus unites the side lates at their tops. The operations of hen ing the blank into shape may be performed simultaneously or successively, and the metal may be worked either hot or cold, but preferably cold.

On the accompanging drawings, which form a part of this s eci cation, I have illustrated bolsters embo ying my invention and also sheet-metal blanks from which the bolsters are made.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a truckbolster constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of both body and truck bolsters. Fig. 3 is an end view of both bolsters. Fig. 4 is a central transverse section of both bolsters. Fi 5 shows the blank from which the bodyboIster is constructed, and Fig. 6 shows a similar blank from which the truck-bolster is constructed.

Referring first to Fig. 5, 10 represents a rectangular sheet of metal, such as is used in making'a body-bolster involving my invention. At each end of the sheet I shear the metal on the two bent lines 11 12 13, the two portions 11 12 of the lines at each end being parallel to each other and to the sides or the sheet, while the remaining portions 12 13 converge, but do not meet,thus forming the bellied shape of the parts which are to comprise the sides of the bolster when bent to place. Four cuts are then made from the points 14 on the ends to the points 15, these cuts being parallel to the outer sides of the sheet and to the first cuts. The latter cuts remove four pieces of metal from the ends, the excised strips having sides parallel to each other for a portion of their length, and for the remainder of their length one side taers toward and meets the other. The outer ongitudinal edges of the sheet are bent over 011 the lines 16, so as to form the outer flanges 22. Additional flanges 27 are provided by turning up the sheet of metal forming the intermediate strip on the four lines 17, these flanges being integral with the parts which are to constitute the intermediate inclined and end portions of the bottom of the bolster. The outer longitudinal strips are bent upwardly on lines 18, so as to constitute the sides of the structure, and the central longitudinal portion of the sheet is then bent on transverse lines 19 to form the inclined portions 25 of the bottom and is also bent on transverse lines 20 to provide the horizontal end portions 26 of the bottom. After the bolster is thus formed into shape, a top tension-plate 23, which extends substantially the full length of the bolster, is riveted to the upper outwardly-extending flanges 22, and the sides 21 are riveted to the flanges 27 on the bottom. The end portions of the bolster are spaced apart and united together by means of dish-shaped fillers or connecting members 28, riveted to the top plate and to the sides and flanges of the bottom. At the central portion of the under side of the body bolster is secured the center-bearing plate 29, with which cooperates the truck-bearing plate 29, fastened to the upper compressionplate 23 of the truck-bolster.

The truck-bolster blank shown in Fig. 6 is similar to the body-bolster blank shown in Fig. 5, differing from it only in respect to size and to the length of the strips to form the upper outwardly-extending flanges 22, which do not extend the full length of the bolster.

At each end the truck-bolster is supplied with filler-blocks 28 and 28 which unite the sides and also act to space them apart. These fillers, comprising dish-shaped members, may be of cast or sheet metal and are riveted to the sides and also to the flanges of the bottom plate.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that I have devised a bolster construction which may be economically manufactured and which at the same time possesses great strength, owing to the fact that the sides and bottom are integral at their central portions and to the fact that the sides are riveted to integral flanges on the bottom for the remainder of their length.

It is apparent that instead of removing pieces of metal from the sheet near the ends, as described above, I may merely shear the metal along the bent lines 11 12 13,- but in this case, however, the flanges on the bottom portion might be wider than is necessary near their ends, depending upon the extent to which the lines 11 12 13 are bent.

Various other modifications may be made in the construction of bolsters involving my invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined by the appended claims.

This patent is intended to embrace only so much of the disclosure made herein as is covered by the claims.

I claim- 1. The method of manufacturing a carbolster, which consists in cutting out of a sheet of metal two piecesv at each end, bending over the edges of the sheet at the inner side of each recess to form flanges, turning up the outer longitudinal portions of the sheet to form the sides of the bolster, bending the central portion of the sheet, so that the flanges will overlap the sides, and riveting the sides to said flanges, substantially as described.

2. The method of manufacturing a carbolster, which consists in making two longitudinal cuts in a sheet of metal at each end, the cuts being parallel for a portion of their length from the end, and then converging toward each other, bending up flanges along the inner sides of said cuts, turning up the outer longitudinal portions of the sheet to form the sides of the bolster, bending up the central tongues of the sheet formed by the cuts so that their flanges will overlap the sides of the bolster, and riveting the flanges to said bolster, substantially as described.

3. The method of manufacturing a car bolster, which consists in cutting out of a sheet of metal two pieces at each end, bending over the edges of the sheet at the inner side of each recess to form flanges, bending over the outer longitudinal edges of the sheet to form outwardly-extending flanges when the sides are bent into shape, bending up the sides of said sheet to form the sides of the bolster, bending up the central tongues formed by the cutting so that their flanges will overlap the sides, and riveting said flanges to said sides, substantially as described.

4. The method of manufacturing a carbolster, which consists in making two longitudinal cuts in a sheet of metal at each end thereof, said cuts extending from the end parallel to each other for a portion of their length, and then converging toward each other, bending over the edges of the sheet at the inner side of each cut to form flanges, bending over flangeson the outer longitudinal edges of the sheet, bending up the outer longitudinal portions of the sheet to form the sides of the bolster, turning up the central tongues formed by the cuts so that the flanges will overlap the sides, and riveting said flanges to the sides, substantially as described.

5. The method of manufacturing a carbolster, which consists in cutting out of a sheet of metal two pieces at each end, bending over the edges of the sheet at the inner side of each recess so formed to provide flanges, bending up the outer longitudinal portions of the sheet to form the sides of the bolster, bending the central portion of the sheet to form intermediate inclined and end bottom portions with their flanges overlapping and between the sides, and riveting the sides to said flanges, substantially as described.

6. The method of manufacturing a carbolster, which consists in making two longi-' tudinal cuts in a sheet of metal at each end, the cuts being parallel for a portion of their length from the 'end, and then converging toward each other, bending up a flange at one side of each cut, turning up the outer longitudinal portions of the sheet to form the sides of the bolster, bending the central tongues of the sheet formed by the cuts to provide intermediate inclined and end bot tom portions, and fastening the sides and bottom together by means of said flanges and rivets, substantially as described.

7. A car-bolster comprising two side plates, a bottom plate integral with said side plates for a portion of their length, said bottom plate also having flanges riveted to the side plates for another portion of their length, substantially as described.

8. A car-bolster, comprising two plate sides, a bottom plate integral With said sides for a portion of their length, said bottom plate also having integral flanges riveted to the sides for another portion of their length, substantially as described.

9. A car-bolster, comprising two bellied plate sides, a bottom plate integral With the said sides at their central portion and provided With integral flangesfor the remainder of its length, said flanges being riveted to the sides of the bolster, substantially as described.

10. A car-bolster, comprising two bellied plate sides, each With an upper outwardlyextending flange, a bottom plate integral With said sides at their central portions, said bottom plate being provided With integral flanges at its sides and bent up so that the flanges overlap the sides, said flanges being riveted to the sides, substantially as described.

11. A car-bolster, comprising two bellied plate sides, each With an integral upper out- Wardly-eXtending flange, a bottom plate integral With said sides at their central portions said bottom plate also having intermediate inclined and end portions with integral flanges at their sides, said bottom flanges extending between and overlapping the sides and riveted thereto, substantially as described.

ETHAN I. DODDS. Witnesses:

FREDERICK C. GoonWIN, WALTER M. FULLER. 

